Triathalon swim deaths 2008 rising. What is going on?

OK I love to blame all on the wet suit but thats a different thread. I think there is a very high level of race anxiety that may be at work here. I remember my first open water swim at Boulder Reservoir in Colorado almost 20 years ago now. Here I was a young guy just a few years out as a collegiant swimmer doing a two miler. I thought this would be nothing just something to do on a Saturday morning, man was I wrong. First race organizers probably underestimated the size of the event second the start was in a narrow confine between a dock and the beach and it required hard right turn after just 50 yards swum. Race start and 10 seconds later claustrophobic near panic starts to happen swimmers all around no space uuugggghhhhh! Needless to say I have become better prepared for these happenings over the years of doing La Jolla, Newport Beach, Waikiki but it's still hard, the heart races and I found the key is to get off that anaerobic rate back to a aerobic rate after a couple of hundred yards or so. As is common on this thread I wonder how many of these tri-athletes have prepared for this. When I coach and it's race pace/quality day, I get the same groans from the tri's just like on stroke day. All they want to do is the 15x100 for 4x500 etc. I always try to explain to them they need to do this anaerobic work as it simulates what the heart is doing at a typical race start. When were in the 50 meter configuration I will have them do three wide sprints and put two more swimmers right behind them and tell them to try to swim through etc. Ahhh I just can't help it. In regards to the wet suit, it's highly unlikely that that the sport of Triathlon would have grown this explosively without it. But it's a double edged sword, it gives a false sense of security as many of these swimmers simply would not be capable of doing these swims without it. It seems like common sense not to wear one if the water and air is warm but most race directors look the other way because if they were to say no on the wet suit there goes the event fee revenue. They did a triathlon a couple of years ago in Grand Junction, Colorado after about a week of high 90's and low hundreds. The lake was warm, and there was a rumor that the race director was going to ban wet suits but he nearly had a mutiny on his hands as many of the athletes stated they would demand a refund if that were to occur. So the race went on wet suits and all, many had early heat exhaustion that started on the swim, how ridiculous. Several friends of mind who were solid age group competitors, wanted to go without the wet suit but were afraid they get to far behind on the swim but later regretted the choice as some of them suffered early due to the heat.

OK I love to blame all on the wet suit but thats a different thread. I think there is a very high level of race anxiety that may be at work here. I remember my first open water swim at Boulder Reservoir in Colorado almost 20 years ago now. Here I was a young guy just a few years out as a collegiant swimmer doing a two miler. I thought this would be nothing just something to do on a Saturday morning, man was I wrong. First race organizers probably underestimated the size of the event second the start was in a narrow confine between a dock and the beach and it required hard right turn after just 50 yards swum. Race start and 10 seconds later claustrophobic near panic starts to happen swimmers all around no space uuugggghhhhh! Needless to say I have become better prepared for these happenings over the years of doing La Jolla, Newport Beach, Waikiki but it's still hard, the heart races and I found the key is to get off that anaerobic rate back to a aerobic rate after a couple of hundred yards or so. As is common on this thread I wonder how many of these tri-athletes have prepared for this. When I coach and it's race pace/quality day, I get the same groans from the tri's just like on stroke day. All they want to do is the 15x100 for 4x500 etc. I always try to explain to them they need to do this anaerobic work as it simulates what the heart is doing at a typical race start. When were in the 50 meter configuration I will have them do three wide sprints and put two more swimmers right behind them and tell them to try to swim through etc. Ahhh I just can't help it. In regards to the wet suit, it's highly unlikely that that the sport of Triathlon would have grown this explosively without it. But it's a double edged sword, it gives a false sense of security as many of these swimmers simply would not be capable of doing these swims without it. It seems like common sense not to wear one if the water and air is warm but most race directors look the other way because if they were to say no on the wet suit there goes the event fee revenue. They did a triathlon a couple of years ago in Grand Junction, Colorado after about a week of high 90's and low hundreds. The lake was warm, and there was a rumor that the race director was going to ban wet suits but he nearly had a mutiny on his hands as many of the athletes stated they would demand a refund if that were to occur. So the race went on wet suits and all, many had early heat exhaustion that started on the swim, how ridiculous. Several friends of mind who were solid age group competitors, wanted to go without the wet suit but were afraid they get to far behind on the swim but later regretted the choice as some of them suffered early due to the heat.